Improvement in telephones



J. E .SMITH I Telphon@l NO. 201,060l

Patented March 5: 1878.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN E. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEM ENT 'IN TELEPHONES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,060, dated March 5, 1878; application filed January 21, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. SMITH, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tele phones, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

The use of the speaking-telephone, as at present constructed, is greatly interfered with by external sounds nea-r the instrument.

The object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty. This I accomplish by attaclr ing to the cover of the diaphragm, or to the diaphragm itself, a cushion, ring, or cup of india-rubber or other elastic or iiexible material, which, by a gentle pressure, 'will fit closely against thev ear, or surround the ear and iit closely against the side of the head, and thereby exclude external sounds.V

Figure l of the drawings represents a longitudinal section of a Bell telephone with my improvement applied to the cover of the diaphragm. Fig. 2 is a similar section, showing a portion of a similar telephone with my iinprovement applied directly to the diaphragm itself.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A is the magnet 5 B, the helix of wire; C, the diaphragm; D, the cap or cover, which clamps the diaphragm to the body or shell E, and which is provided with the usual orifice b. S S are the wires which connect the helix B with the binding-screws g g.

In Fig. 1, Gris a cup, of india-rubber or other elastic orilexible material, fastened, by cement,

screws, 0r otherwise, to the cover D. This cup has an opening, d, in its bottom directly opposite the oriice b in the cover D.

In Fig. 2 a shallow elastic ring or lannular cushion is shown substituted for the cup G, and this ring or cushion is shown attached directly to the diaphragm O, the cover D being dispensed with, and the opening of said ring or cushion being opposite'the center of the diaphragm.

When two telephones are used by one person at the same time, I prefer to have the instrument which is held constantly to the ear during communication furnished with a ring or cushion similar to that shown in Fig. 2, the hole in which may be from one-half to threequarters of an inch indiameter. This ring may be attached to either the cover D or the diaphragm. In the other instrument, which I would alternate from the mouth to the other ear, I prefer to have the elastic material in the form of a cup, G, as represented in Fig. l, and large enough to completely inclose the ear and make a close it against the side ofthe head.

Telephones thus constructed and used will exclude from both ears all external sounds, and will consequently be much more effective.

I claim- The combination, with a telephone, of an elastic or iiexible cushion, ring, or cup, G, substantially as and for the purpose described.

J. E. SMITH.

Witnesses HENRY T. BROWN, VERNON H. HARRIs. 

